AI’s role in healthcare to be debated at international empathy conference

The impact of artificial intelligence on healthcare will come under the spotlight at a major international conference.

Artificial intelligence’s role in diagnosing illnesses is growing dramatically and increasingly it is being challenged to see if it can respond to patients with more empathy than human healthcare professionals.

Healthcare professionals, researchers and educators will be given the chance to explore this hotly contested issue at this year’s Global Empathy in Healthcare Network Symposium during a debate entitled ‘AI care- and chat-bots cannot provide empathic care’.

The debate will see Jeremy Howick, a Professor of Empathic Healthcare and Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare based at the University of Leicester, go head-to-head with Dr Paquita De Zulueta, a qualified coach, mentor, cognitive behavioural therapist and honorary lecturer at Imperial College who chairs the Human Values in Healthcare Forum.

Professor Howick said: “Increasingly we’re being asked to consider whether artificial intelligence can outperform clinicians when it comes to treating patients with empathy and compassion.

“This area is often considered to be the most human part of medicine and yet in several recent studies, chatbots have received higher ratings for empathy than human clinicians, although it has been acknowledged that these studies have their limitations.

“Given that there’s plenty of evidence to show empathy in healthcare leads to improved outcomes and better experiences for patients it’s vitally important that we examine how we can deliver empathy most effectively.

“This event will open attendees’ eyes to the debate surrounding artificial intelligence care- and chat-bots’ ability to deliver empathic care.”

The symposium will also feature award-winning plenary speakers including CBS News’ Chief Medical Correspondent Jonathan LaPook who is Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, an internist and gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health, and the Founder and President of the NYU Langone Empathy Project.

Leading experts from around the world will also deliver a series of empathy-based masterclasses at the event.

The Global Empathy in Healthcare Network Symposium is being delivered in association with the International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH) and will take place in Leicester on 15 and 16 September.

Early bird rates for symposium tickets are available until Monday, 16 June.

To find out more about the symposium and for bookings, visit the Global Empathy in Healthcare Network website.